Oxidation of finely-subdivided material



W. N. BEST. OXIDATION OF FINELY SUBDIVIDED MATERIAL.

' APPLICATION FILED FEB.S,1919.

1 397,79 l Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

AT TOWN EY UNITED STATES WILLIAM N. BEST, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

OXIDATION OF FINELY-SUBDIVIDED MATERIAL.

Patented N ov. 22, 1921.

Application filed February 8, 1919. Serial No. 275,682.

T0 all 'w 7mm t may concern.' y Be it known that I, WILLIAM N. Bns'r, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State'of N ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Oxidation of Finely-Subdivided Material, of which the following is a specication.

rlhis invention relates to the oxidation of pulverulent or other finely-subdivided material and has for its main object to more effectively bring the nely sub-divided material into intimate contact with a gaseous heating medium and a gaseous oxidizing agent.

So far as my improved apparatus-is concerned, I do not wish to be limited to any particular finely sub-divided material nor to the character of the resultant product of the process employed. In carrying out my invention I use a burner or liquid fuel atomizer which will give a substantially fiat spray of vapor of a liquid or semi-liquid fuel such as oil or' tar. rlhe atomizing or vaporizing of the liquid fuel and the projecting of it in the form of a fiat spray is secured by means of an atomizing jet of compressed air or steam. Air for supporting the combustion of this liquid fuel is delivered preferably under comparatively low pressure adjacent to the spray so as to produce a substantially flat fan-shaped flame. rlhe material-which is to be oxidized is delivered mechanically as for instance, by gravity through a chute, trough, or conduit and in suitably regulated quantities. The point of delivery of the finely sub-divided solid material is directly above the flat fanshaped flame so that said material falls into and through the flame and is highly heated by the latter and is oxidized by the current of air which is supplied not only for such oxidation but for the supporting of the combustion of the finely sub-divided liquid fuel.

One of the main objects of my invention is to more effectively utilize coal dust, culm, screenings, or other solid fuel existing in large quantities in a finely sub-divided state. am aware that such finely sub-divided solid fuel has been used in furnaces by blowing or spraying it into the combustion chamber in which a fluid fuel is also burned but so far as I am aware no one has heretofore proposed permitting such finely subdivided solid material to fall through a fanshaped Hame'of a liquid fuel atomized by a gaseous medium so that the solid fuel is both highly heated and the combustible portions completely oxidized. llVith this improved arrangement, the furnace may be lirst heated solely by the burning of the spray of liquid fuel and the additional fuel to produce the additional heat may be delivered either continuously or at such times as may be desired, to the fan-shaped flame.

A further object of my invention is to provide a simple, effective, and inexpensive process for the oxidizing of such nely subdivided materials as result in solid oxids rather than gaseous oxids like carbon-dioxid. My invention is particularly applicable for use in the producing of copper oxid from finely sub-divided copper. The `finely sub-divided copper or other metal or material to be oxidized is delivered to and permitted to fall through the fan-shaped llame and the oxidizing air and is completely, thoroughly and uniformly oxidized at high temperature before it falls to and collects on the bottom of the furnace or in other suitable collection chambers. Materials other than copper which produce solid oxids and materials other than coal dust which produce gaseous oxids, may be employed in my improved apparatus and in carrying out my improved process.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated certain essentials of an apparatus adapted to carry out my improved process.

' In these drawings:

Figure l is a central vertical section through a portion of an apparatus showing the burner or liquid atomizer in one position, and

Fig. 2 is a view Vsimilar' to a portion of F ig. 1 but showing the burner or atomizer in an inverted position.

In these drawings, I have illustrated a portion of a furnace chamber having a combustion chamber ll. This furnace may be of any desired form, shape, or character, depending entirely upon the material to be heated by the heat of the furnace or the material to be oxidized in the flame. posite to the entrance to the combustion chamber' I employ a burner or atomizer l2 having a delivery passage 18 for oil, tar, or other liquid or semi-liquid fuel and a passage 'llfor steam, compressed air, or other gaseous or fluid atomizing medium. The outlets from these passages are so juxtaposed that the escape of the atomizing medium delivers the liquid fuel in a substan tially fan-shaped sheet or spray.' rEhe outlet from the passage 14 is formed between the body Yof the burner and an adjustablemember 15. rlhe two passages may be connected up to suitable sources of supply of the two fluid mediums by pipes 16 and 17. I do not here claim anything as novelv in this form of burner or liquid fuel atomizer as 'it may be constructedV in accordance with of the fan-shaped flame, said plane being indicated approximatelyV by the line A in Figs. 1 and 2. This nozzle 21 is also disposed slightly beyond the outlet for the expansive medium which delivers and distributes the liquid fuel. In order to secure a substantially continuous delivery of the finely sub-divided material, suoli( as coal dust, metallic copper, or other oxidizable material, to brealr4 up any large chunks in the receptacle, .and to keep the conduit from clogging up, I provide some suitable' form of mechanical agitating and feeding means. Merely as an example of such means, I have shown a reciprocating plunger 22 connected to .an eccentric strap 23 of an eccentric 24, which latter is secured to and rotated by a shaft 25 above the hopper. The lower end of the rod 22 may be roughened or recessed or provided with pockets or other surface irregularities and terminates within the portion of the conduit 20 connected to the hopper. The rotation of the eccentric gives the rod both a reciprocating movement within the conduit and .a slight lateral movement so as to effectively deliver material from the hopper to the conduit.v The rate of del livery may be controlled not onll7 by Vary' ing the speed of the shaft 25 but also by controlling the inlet opening to the pipe 20. I have shown a pair of closure sections 26-26 slidably mounted on the bottom ofV the hopper upon opposite sides of the rod 22, and extending partway across the inlet end of the conduit 20. These closure sections may be adjusted toward and from each other in any suitable manner, as for instance, by screw threaded engagement with shaft sections 27 having operating handles or cranks 28 and held against longitudinal movement by nuts'upon opposite sides of supporting'brackets 29.

'eous medium is delivered across the open upper end rather than the open lower end of the liquid fuel delivery passage. In many respects this is the preferable'positioning of a burner ofV this character.

Materials of various different states `of sub-division may be employed, the fineness of the material or the regularity and size of the particles being dependent to a certain extent upon the nature of the material. If the solid material is to be oxidizedin -order to produce heat, I preferably pulverize it or screen it to pass through a 100, 150,

or 200 mesh but coarser or finer material may be employed.

Although I have shown the solid material delivered to the flame or liquid fuel spray solely by the action of gravity, it will of course be understood that otherv delivering means might be employed. Althoughunder ordinary circumstances' the combustion' supporting gaseous medium is air under comparatively low pressure, as for instance, from a blower, yet it will of course be understood that other means for supplying such combustion supporting medium might be employed or that the fan-shaped flame might be so positioned that a sufficient amount of combustion supporting air would be automatically taken direct from theiatmosphere without the necessity for the delivery nozzle 18. Under some special circumstances I might employ oxygen ofany desired purity instead of ordinary air.

I-Iaving thus described myinvention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The process of oxidizing pulverulent or other finely subdivided solid material, which consists in continuously delivering a liquid fuel, expanding a gaseous mediumA across the liquid fuel outlet toeform a substantially iiat fan-shaped spray of liquid fuel, delivering the pulverulent or other finely subdivided solid material to a point above said Vfan-shaped spray with the: latter in a state of ignition and from which said material may fall by gravity into and throughV the zone of combustion, and delivering air closely beneath and substantially parallel to the spray to support combustion of the liquid fuel and oxidation of the solid material.

2. The process Vof producing heat, which consists in delivering a substantially flat fan-shapedspray of liquid fuel by means of a vaporizin jet of gaseous medium, supplying com ustion supporting air to the spray whereby a substantially fiat fanshaped ieme is produced when said spray is ignited, and delivering finely sub-divided coal to said fan-shaped flame.

3. The process of producing heat' which consists in delivering a substantially flat fan-shaped spray of liquid fuel by means 10 of a vaporizing jet of gaseous medium, supplying combustion supporting air to the spray whereby a substantially flat fanshaped flame is produced when said medium is ignited, and permitting finely sub-divided coal to fall by gravity into or through said flame.

Signed at New York cit ,in the county of New York and State of ew York, this 7th day of February, A. D. 1919.

WILLIAM N. BEST. 

